high and mighty

¹ American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. persons who are members of or identify with the higher social strata of society, especially those who are powerful or arrogant.

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adverb

1. in a self-important, grandiose, or arrogant manner.

   They talk high and mighty, but they owe everyone in town.

   Now don't go getting all high and mighty on me.

high-and-mighty ² American  

[hahy-uhn-mahy-tee, -uhnd-] / ˈhaɪ ənˈmaɪ ti, -ənd- /

adjective

1. haughty; arrogant.

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high and mighty Idioms  

1. Conceited, haughty, as in She was too high and mighty to make her own bed. This expression originally alluded to high-born rulers and was being transferred to the merely arrogant by the mid-1600s.

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Usage

What does high and mighty mean? High and mighty is often used as an adverb meaning in an arrogant or self-important manner, as in Please stop acting so high and mighty—you’re not the boss here.The word mighty means strong, powerful, or of great importance.When someone acts as if they are superior or in charge, they can be said to be acting high and mighty. This is especially the case when they’re not actually superior or in charge.High and mighty can also be used as an adjective, in which case it’s often hyphenated (high-and-mighty), as in Take your high-and-mighty attitude elsewhere—we work as a team here.The phrase can also be used as a collective noun to refer to people who are considered powerful, as in The high and mighty take too much and give too little. The word mighty can be used in the same way, as in The rich and mighty hold all the power.Example: Don’t get all high and mighty with me—I’m the one who trained you.

Other Word Forms

• high-and-mightiness noun

Etymology

Origin of high and mighty

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English: originally a title of dignity

Example Sentences

When the high and mighty of Silicon Valley assumed their privileged perch at the swearing-in of President Trump, it was an ostentatious show of wealth and power unlike any before.

From Los Angeles Times

“And people are welcome to label things however they want, but there’s frankly nobody else doing the reporting that we do. ... That’s what ten million people are subscribing to The New York Times for … And not to like sound too high and mighty, but the market has spoken, and they like what we’re doing.”

From Salon

But many of the videos are released by police and feature people who have come under far more pressure than the high and mighty of Russia's pop scene.

From BBC

In his 2002 book High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV, Keith Bradsher wrote that “AMC promoted the Jeep’s four-wheel drive even though its engineers and executives knew that it had little value for urban buyers.”

From Slate

In the early 1990s, Bradsher notes in High and Mighty, Ford’s profit margins on its Explorer SUV exceeded 30 percent.

From Slate

Related Words

• arrogant
• haughty